Graduate Certificate in Public Policy

Enhance your credentials and your competitiveness in the job market across a broad range of fields with the Graduate Certificate in Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University. With this 12-credit graduate certificate, you will gain a broad understanding of public policy while preparing for a career in academic, government and nonprofit sectors. 

Public policy plays a key role in virtually every aspect of social life. Learn the rationale for government intervention and develop a keen understanding of the political and institutional forces that shape policy at the local, state and federal levels.

With the Public Policy Graduate Certificate, you will build a solid foundation in the concepts, knowledge and tools of public policymaking, including analysis, evaluation and implementation. Acquire the key analytic tools to evaluate policy proposals and determine whether public policy programs are having their intended impacts on society.

All credits earned in the graduate certificate program with a 3.0 or better may count toward the Master of Public Policy program

Program Format & Curriculum

Classes for the Graduate Certificate in Public Policy are held in the evening to accommodate working professionals. Students have the option of completing the certificate entirely online or in person at Temple University Center City campus. Students can be enrolled full or part time and have two years to complete the program. 

The following four courses are required.

  • Community Based Program Evaluation
  • Economic Decisions and Public Policy
  • Policy Analysis
  • The Policy-Making Process

Students must pass all courses and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to earn the certificate. 

Learn more about the coursework for the Public Policy Certificate (Graduate).

Careers

The Graduate Certificate in Public Policy is intended for graduate students who wish to better prepare themselves for jobs in the public and nonprofit sectors as well as academia. 

Public policy professionals work on a variety of important and challenging issues that include the following.

  • Access to affordable healthcare
  • Climate change
  • Control of epidemics
  • Homeland security
  • Immigration
  • Income inequality
  • Reproductive rights
  • Unemployment and underemployment

Tuition & Fees

In keeping with Temple’s commitment to access and affordability, this Graduate Certificate offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. For online classes in the Public Policy Certificate (Graduate) program, all students are eligible for the in-state rate.

These tuition costs apply to the 2021–2022 academic year.

Pennsylvania resident: $1,105.00 per credit
Out-of-state: $1,518.00 per credit

Learn more about our tuition and fees.

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Additional Program Information